What in the world is shakshuka? I'm so glad you asked.
Shakshuka is the type of simple dish that tastes so much more complex; a handful of ingredients come together as a whole, greater than the sum of its parts. It can be eaten breakfast, lunch, or dinner, which makes it adaptive. It is pretty enough to serve to guests (and, for being so simple, it often elicits wows). And, most importantly, you probably already have all the ingredients you need to make this dish.
So what is it?
Shakshuka is essentially eggs poached in a tomato sauce. The dish has Tunisian origins, and it is a common breakfast dish in Isreal, served alongside crusty bread or pita. There are thousands of different recipes out there for shakshuka, which displays some of its adaptability: you can use a variety of herbs to spice the sauce; you can add jalepenos or another chile to give it some heat; you can even add some roasted zucchini or eggplant, wilted spinach... the options are endless.
If I'm being honest, I've eaten shakshuka for breakfast for the past three days (and I am still far from tired of the dish!). I have been living in Switzerland at CERN, the world's largest particle physics facility, for the past month, which means my ingredients and cooking tools are limited. (As are my photographing capabilities – sorry about that!) Shakshuka is such an easy dish to make that's so foolproof, I thought it would be a great recipe to kickstart this blog! Since I've been cooking for just myself, this recipe serves one. It is easy to scale up for however many eggs you'd like to serve.
We're going to start by chopping up some alliums. The word allium refers to a family of plants with two key characteristics: a bulbous body and a sulfurous nature. Common alliums are garlic, onions, shallots, scalions, leeks... but there are hundreds of varieties in this food family. Alliums form the base of dishes in several cuisines (think garlic and onion in italian cooking, or the onion, carrot, and celery French trio). Here, we want onions and garlic: 1 clove of garlic, minced finely, and 1/4 small onion, chopped. Saute this in about a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high.
Side note: I used mainly cook on high heat because I just thought it was faster, but it turns out most foods you're going to want to cook on medium. Unless you are sitrfrying or searing, repeat after me: high heat equals burnt food. Garlic is especially finnicky when it comes to high heat because it can burn really easily. Make sure you're stirring the garlic and onions, and avoid letting them sit for too long.
As the onions begin to caramelize, chop up 1/2 a red pepper and add that to the pan as well. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, salt and pepper. (Paprika is pretty mild while cumin has a very distinctive flavor, so if you're scaling up you can just add a lot of paprika and a little cumin to taste.) Saute the vegetables until brown and soft, about 5-10 minutes. Here is where you can add more vegetables if you'd like a less traditional shakshuka. I've tried zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, carrot... all good options. Just pay attention to how long you're cooking each item: zucchini and other squash are softer vegetables, so you can add them later than something like carrot. If you plan to add any greens – spinach is a good bet, because it wilts easily and has a mild flavor, but something like kale or swiss chard is also an option – you'll want to add them right before you add the tomatoes, just until they wilt.
Next add 1 cup crushed tomatoes (you can substitue fresh tomatoes here, but keep in mind you'll have to simmer them for about twice as long to cook them down all the way) and reduce heat to medium. Let the tomato sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
Crack 2 eggs into the tomato sauce, being gentle not to break the yolk. If you'd rather, crack each egg one at a time into a small bowl, check for shell fragments, and then slide the egg into the tomato mixture. Cover and let simmer for 10-12 minutes. By this point the whites should be cooked through. Make sure that the heat isn't too high, or the tomatoes will burn before the egg whites have cooked through. You should also make sure that you don't put too many eggs in a small pan, so they have enough room to spread out. As the eggs are cooking periodically move the tomato sauce around them so that everything cooks evenly. Alternatively, after cracking the eggs in the pan, you could put it on the oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, until the eggs are cooked. I like this option better, but I don't have an oven safe pan here in Switzerland! Any good stainless steel pan or cast iron skillet is oven safe; just make sure it doesn't have plastic handles.
And that's it for shakshuka! I've seen a lot of recipes that add feta on top. Personally, I like to shave some manchego on top, and I think parmesan would work as well (a little more distant from the African/ Middle Eastern cuisine, but any salty cheese works).
I tend to go for savory breakfasts, which is why this has become one of my favorites. Eggs are a staple because they are so cheap, easy, and versatile. There has been a lot of debate recently about saturated fats, and whether they have any place in a healthy diet. Historically, the view on saturated fat has been pretty straightforward, linking higher intake to a higher level of "bad" LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. This goes back to a study done in 1958 by Ancel Keys known as the Seven Countries Study. This study found a link between consuming saturated fat and heart disease. This study has come under fire in more recent years, as reanalyses have been done by several researchers who found that Keys had cherrypicked results; in other words, he used only the results that supported his theory. There's a lot of controversy now over whether saturated fat in your diet is bad for you. Some cite evidence that it is linked to higher levels of LDL and heart disease, some say otherwise, and some point to the fact that there are different types of saturated fat, and they aren't all good or bad.
Personally, I think the best way to go is to limit your saturated fat intake, and replace it with other types of fat like omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, a type of fat on which there's a little more consensus. I have a hard time jumping on the coconut oil bandwagon, and whether that is because I have been conditioned to demonize saturated fat or not, I am perfectly happy just using olive oil for my cooking.
Eggs, however, generally don't need to be avoided for their saturated fat or cholesterol. According to the Mayo Clinic, unless you have diabetes, most healthy people can eat about 7 eggs a week without a significantly increasing risk of heart disease. Egg yolks also are a good source of protein, selenium, vitamin B-12, folate, and phosphorus. If you really want to avoid egg yolks, though, just use the egg white for this recipe!
I liked this take in the Annual Review of Public Health, according to Katz:
"There is no one nutrient that's responsible for all health ills, and there is no one nutrient that will make us healthy. It really is the overall dietary pattern. Dietary patterns consistently associated with good health tend to be low in saturated fat—but not because they focus on saturated fat—rather, it's because they're made up of the most nutritious foods preferentially. Those foods tend to be low in saturated fat just as they are low in salt and sugar and free of trans fat and so forth. Those foods are also minimally processed and close to nature, including vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. There is no pixie dust involved. There is no magic formula, and there is no scapegoat. Wholesome foods in sensible combinations could be our salvation."
Here's the full recipe below:
Shashuka
Serves 1
30 minutes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cloves garlic
1/4 small onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 eggs
1. Saute garlic, onion, and red pepper in olive oil over medium high heat. Once caramelized and soft, about 10 minutes, add paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
2. Reduce heat to medium, add tomatoes, and let simmer for 10 more minutes until it thickens slightly.
3. Make pockets in the tomato sauce for the eggs to sit in. Crack eggs into a bowl one at a time, and slide each egg into a pocket, being careful not to break the yolk. Cover for 10-12 minutes until the egg white is cooked through, and the yolk is cooked how you like.
4. Top with a few shavings of parmesan or Manchego, or a tablespoon of feta.
